Good Day Alabama: May 10, 2016

2016-05-10T17:11:55Z2016-05-10T17:11:55Z

(Source: WBRC video)

Here's what you saw on Good Day Alabama:

JEH JEH LIVE - The Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is a collaboration between the National Association of Letter Carriers, United Way of Central Alabama and the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. Everyone can help Stamp out hunger by leaving a bag of non-perishable food by their mailbox on May 14 and their local letter carrier will deliver it to the Community Food Bank of Central AL. It is the largest one-day food drive in America. Last year's drive collected more than 70 million pounds of non-perishable food nationally. All food collected stays local.

BETH K - UAB Nutritionist Dr. Beth Kitchin joined with the four habits of successful weight losers. Lots of questions surrounding the Biggest Loser study that showed many contestants gained much of their weight back. Beth got a lot of messages from people asking her "is there any hope for me?" There were many limitations with the study that the researchers readily admitted.

The study was small - only 14 participants - and a sample of people that is far from typical - most people don't lose weight with a staff of fitness experts helping them on TV. But the study did support what other studies have shown: when you lose weight, your body may fight back. Keep in mind that over half of the weight losers still kept off at least 10 percent of the weight they lost. And that's pretty impressive. But the findings that their metabolism fought them and their increased hunger can be depressing for people who want to lose weight. But hope can be found with the research at the National Weight Control Registry. The NWCR has been following over 10,000 people who have successfully lost and kept off at least 30 pounds for a year or longer. What the researchers want to know is: how did you do it? Keep in mind this is a large observational study – so we cannot say that these common habits are responsible for the long-term success stories. But let's take a look at the four common habits of long-term losers:

4 Common Habits of Successful Weigh Losers: 1. 78 percent eat breakfast every day 2. 75 percent weigh themselves at least once a week 3. 62 percent watch less than 10 hours of TV per week 4. 90 percent exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day

Some other interesting things to know: • The average weight loss is 66 pounds with a range of 30 to 300 pounds • The average length of time they've kept the weight off is 5.5 years with a range of 1 to 66 years. • Some weight loss has been fast and others very slow - over 14-year period• 45 percent lost the weight on their own while 55% used a weight loss program

You can to their website to see some inspiring success stories and also to join the program if you yourself have successfully lost and kept off 30 pounds for over a year! For more information and weight loss stories, visit http://www.nwcr.ws/.

MONEY TUESDAY - Stewart Welch joined us to explain "Student Loan Repayment Strategies." Soon, thousands of college students across America will be graduating and seeking employment. Soon afterward, the government will come knocking on their doors asking them to begin making payments on their student loan debt.

As most people are well aware, the job market for graduates remains tight with many graduates having to settle for lower-paying jobs than they had hoped for or that their college degree suggests. As a result, many graduates will soon discover that the student loan repayment schedule is going to be a financial burden that is tough to bear. The good news is that help is available under a new federal initiative called Payback Playbook. Of the $1.2 trillion in student loans, about 25 percent are in some stage of default. The new initiative requires loan servicing companies to provide borrower's with a list of customized repayment options.

These options include repayment schedules based on your income:• Revised Pay as You Earn Repayment Plan - Generally you pay 10 percent of your discretionary income.• Pay as You Earn Repayment Plan - Generally, you pay 10 percent of your discretionary income but never more than the 10-year standard payment plan.• Income-Based Repayment Plan - Generally you pay 10 percent of your discretionary income if you're a new borrower on or after July 1, 2014, but never more than the 10-year Standard Repayment Plan amount. Generally, you pay 15 percent of your discretionary income if you're not a new borrower on or after July 1, 2014, but never more than the 10-year Standard Repayment Plan amount• Income-Contingent Repayment Plan – Generally, you pay the lesser of 10 percent of your discretionary income or what you would pay on a repayment plan with a fixed payment over the course of 12 years, adjusted according to your income.

Under each of these programs, the loan is forgiven if it is not fully repaid by the end of the payment period - typically 20 to 25 years - and there are provisions for hardship relief. A number of other repayment options are available including the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Because of the complexities and potential pitfalls you should consult a professional before making changes to your current loan program.Source: Portions of this article were taken directly from the Federal Student Aid website - www.studentaid.ed.gov.

HIDDEN ORACLE - From the Author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, # 1 New York Times bestselling superstar Rick Riordan bring us his new "Trials of Apollo" series. He talked with Mike about the first book - The Hidden Oracle. This is the first installment in an exciting new five-book quest adventure involving gods and demigods.

JOB FAIR - The Job Fair will be tomorrow at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. The job fair is being sponsored by the Alabama Career Center System/Department of Labor, WBRC FOX6 News, and the City of Birmingham. It will be in the East Exhibition Halls 1, 2, & 3. This one-day event brings together a diverse group of employers actively looking for employees. It provides a fantastic opportunity for you and your job search. It is the place where many employers from around the state and in your hometown area come together to tell you about their companies, introduce you to the jobs available at that particular time, and let you apply for those jobs on the spot. In some cases, employers conduct interviews at the job fair, too. If you find out that there's a job fair in your area, don't miss it! To pre-register for the Job Fair, please visit www.labor.alabama.gov/jobfair.

Tomorrow on Good Day Alabama, we want to help you find a new job! We take you live to the Regional Job Fair at the BJCC to find out what you need to do! Mickey's going to come at you like a Spider Monkey tomorrow if you don't join us.... no, he's just going to visit with a spider monkey at the Birmingham Zoo! The doctor joins us to take your questions about your heart! And we introduce you to the Hope for the Warriors campaign to support our military and their families! Join us for this and much more tomorrow on Good Day!